TEMECULA — Ashley Persson opened the door of Cheyenne Balzer’s car and sat down in the passenger seat. Persson took a long look at her friend and teammate and started to cry.

Persson, a junior on the Temecula Chaparral softball team, knew this difficult moment would come eventually, but she hadn’t prepared any kind of speeches the night before. After all, there really is no easy way for a 16-year-old to reveal she has been diagnosed with cancer.

“I couldn’t find the right words at the beginning,” Persson said. “We both just lost it.”

Persson planned to tell the rest of her teammates in a group meeting later that afternoon, but it didn’t take long for the news to spread around campus. By mid-day, most of the players had heard about it through word of mouth. Karissa Frazier, the team’s pitcher and tri-captain, spotted Persson after second period. She sprinted to Persson and shared a tearful embrace.

“That was a really rough day. We had a game later that day, and we all were a mess,” Frazier said. “We knew something was wrong but weren’t prepared to hear the word ‘cancer.’”

Persson has maintained an upbeat and positive attitude, which is quite remarkable given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding her condition. For nearly two months, doctors had trouble pinpointing the exact nature of Persson’s illness. It was determined late last week that Persson has chondrosarcoma, a somewhat rare cancer of the cartilage (0.5 cases per 1 million persons under 20). A medical panel will review the case and determine the best form of treatment, which could include surgery and radiotherapy.

In addition to playing softball, Persson is a member of several on-campus organizations at Chaparral. She is the dance commission for the Associated Student Body, which means she helped plan the school’s prom on May 17 (“It’s going to amazing because it’s perfect.”) Persson also is a peer leader officer, the vice president for Students Against Destructive Decisions and a member of Act Loud. She has helped plan banquets and rallies for all three organizations. Persson also campaigned to be the 2015 senior class president, a race she ultimately won.

“My first reaction to the news was I really don’t have time to deal with this,” Persson said with a laugh. “I understand my situation and know that this is now a part of me. But I won’t let it define who I am, and I refuse to allow it to consume me or take away the things that I love to do.”

Persson became sick in January when she had symptoms of a common cold. Antibiotics weren’t helping and things got worse. The right side of Persson’s head became blocked, a feeling she described as “someone having poured cement there.” Soon after, Persson began to experience numbness on the right side of her face, severe headaches and excruciating pain in her teeth.

Shannon Persson made an appointment for her daughter at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. The doctor there was puzzled and ordered a CT scan, which reveal a blockage in the nasal cavity. It later was determined the best way to learn more would be to remove a portion of that blockage and send it off for testing. The Mayo Clinic took a look but could not figure it out. A specialist in Boston later narrowed it down to chondrosarcoma or osteosarcoma (bone cancer).

“Up until that very moment, cancer never entered our minds,” Shannon Persson said. “When the doctor walked in the room and told us that, we were stopped dead in our tracks.”

Osteosarcoma was eliminated when the results of a PET bone scan came back last week.

“We’ve been trying to take things one step and one day at a time,” said Steven Persson, Ashley’s father. “The normal human thing is to go down the darkest roads and start to think about the worst possible scenarios. You just have to stay off those roads and do everything to remain positive. But that’s not always the easiest thing to do when you’re a parent.”

Like everyone else, Chaparral softball coach Jerry Delamater became emotional when Ashley texted him the news. Delamater said it took him more than 30 minutes to respond because he wrote and erased several messages before being able to send something back.

“I’ve known Ashley for a long time, even before she started playing here at Chaparral,” Delamater said. “Ashley is an amazing person, and she has the fight and spirit to beat this.”

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